1. Field of Invention
The field of this invention relates to an exercise device for exercising all of the major muscles of the upper and lower abdomen, the internal and external obliques and rectus abdominus, the muscles of the spinal column including the erector spinal, and the intercostals, steratus anterior, latissmus dorsi, trapezius, fascia infraspinata, teres minor and teres major, without putting undue strain on the lumbar and the cervical spinal discs and the muscles comprising the lower back and hip flexors. The exercise device provides training of the frontal portion of the midsection, the abdominals, and isolating benefits to the obliques and the muscles of the spinal column.
Swaying, pivoting, rocking, bending forward, backward, sideways, and conditioning, circular, twisting, lateral bending, forward flexion, rearward extensions, and rotating motions of the upper body are basic movements of the human body. Movement of such nature against resistance has an effect upon the expansion and contraction of the affected muscles of the abdomen, of the spinal column and of the lower back to strengthen and tone all of the major muscles of the upper and lower abdomen, the obliques and major muscles of the spinal column.
As can be appreciated, any motion of the human body wherein undue stress is placed upon the muscles of the lower back negates any benefit of muscular activity and therefore is an unbalanced approach to training and strengthening the muscles of the abdomen and of the mid-to-lower spinal regions. The integrity and strength of the lower back muscles and of the frontal abdominals and of the external obliques are imperative to leading a physically active life style. The training and strengthening of the muscles of the lower back and not just the muscles of the frontal abdomen and the external obliques without offering undue strain and stress upon the muscles of the lower back, including the fascia infraspinata, or on the five lumbar or on the spinal discs, requires balancing the intensity and stress of the training movements of the human body. The invented abdominal exercise device permits the user to train and strengthen all of the muscles of the entire section of the body without undue strain on the muscles of the lower back or of the lumbar region. The muscles of the lower back are trained to support the spinal column, thus avoiding spinal compression, and to maintain the decompression of the spinal vertebrae.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional approaches to the problem of training and strengthening the muscles of the human body utilize a means of providing resistance to body movements of the user. A problem can result in that resistance offered to movement of the human body and of specific muscles can lack any controlling means to prevent any unbalanced stress or strain that may induce injury by an uncontrolled movement. For example, Clymer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,662, teaches an exercise device which includes a spring mounted handle carried on a base which in turn can be carried on a support platform. The user can stand on the platform, which is mounted for back and forth rotary movement and is spring-based to resist movement of the feet of user. Any movement of the spring mounted handles is opposed by the spring. Resistive forces are thereby transmitted back through the arms and body of the user to his legs and feet. Similarly, Reehil, U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,858, teaches an exercise device wherein the user grasps two handles and presses against a spring-loaded structural member which is belted to the user's mid-section and restrained from movement by two body contact pads, one at the chest, the other at the thighs of the user. Kosuge, U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,684 teaches an apparatus for training the waist portion of the human body wherein the user sits upon a rotatable table with his arms supported by a horizontal U-shaped arm support which pivots counter-clockwise to the clockwise movement of the rotatable table upon which the user sits. A restraining force against rotation of the table and the pivoting of the arm support is provided by a friction brake, the rotational force being supplied by the user. But the user, by his twisting movement in a horizontal movement exercises his waist muscles in a limited range of motion. Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,425, teaches an exercise device for exercising the abdominal muscles wherein the user holds a rigid shaft between his legs, the shaft affixed to a horizontal handle for the hands of the user. Movement of the shaft within a shaft housing is restrained by elastic bands. The user exercises by pressing downward upon the shaft which is held between his legs and performing repetitions of "sit up" motions, thus exercising his abdominal muscles. Sobotka, U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,737, teaches an exercise device comprising a shoulder bar held upon the shoulders of the user, back of the neck, by the hands of the user. Elastic straps attached to the shoulder bar are anchored to a combined seat and seat bar which is held steady by the user's body weight. Resistance to body movement is provided by the elastic straps so as to exercise the oblique and waist muscles of the user as well as the muscles of the upper torso and mid-section of the user.
A disadvantage of the exercise device taught by Clymer '662, Reehil '858, Miller '425 and Sobotka '737 is that the user is not supported in the upper body and is not restrained in body movement so as to prevent undue stress being paced upon the muscles of the lower back and of the lumbar region. The user's body accordingly can be subjected to an unbalanced approach to training and strengthening the muscles of the abdomen and of the mid-to-lower spinal regions. Exercise devices taught by Clymer '662, Reehil; 858, Miller '425, and Sobotka '737 are functional for their intended purposes and illustrate the difficulty of achieving a balanced approach to exercising and strengthening the muscles of the abdomen and mid-section of the body of the user and yet prevent undue stress or strain upon the muscles of the lower back and lumbar region.
The exercise device taught by Kosuge '684 restricts the body movements of the user to pivoting motions of the upper body to the lower body in waist twisting movements. The waist twisting movements are restrained by a friction brake to provide resistance to the waist twisting movement. As the upper body is supported by arm supports which encircle the user's body, the user's body movement is limited to a twisting movement consisting of turning the upper body in opposition to the lower body in an oscillatory sequence. Strengthening and training of the body muscles accordingly is limited to muscles of the waist portion of the human body without a balanced approach to exercising and strengthening the muscles of the abdomen and mid-section of the body of the user.
Accordingly, as can be observed from the description of the above exercise devices, a balanced approach to the problem of exercising the mid-section of the body by use of an exercise device without causing undue stress or strain upon the muscles and vertebrae of the lower back or the thoracic and lumbar region has been hampered by availability of exercise devices which permit and promote a full range of body movements to strengthen and exercise the mid-section of the body.
The object of the present invention is a solution to the above problem, being a simple exercise device which permits the exercise and strengthening of the mid-section of the body but which protects and serves to reduce undue stress and strain upon the lower back and the lumbar region. It is a further object of this invention to provide a balanced approach to the problem of exercising the mid-section of the body wherein the user is positioned so as to naturally assume the necessary exercise position of being seated with arm support and the back muscles being properly supported during the exercise movements, yet, training and strengthening benefits are provided to the obliques and muscles of the spinal column.